Thanks for your feedback.I was definitely NOT trying to diet while training for marathon last year but was still a little disappointed that no weight came off despite all the miles I ran in training along with pretty careful eating. Now I am running a bit less/shorter distances and a few days off each week so I think its more realistic but after 2 months of regular exercise, and calorie reduction (and I have noticed, less insulin required per day-- down from 12-14 units per day total to 9-11, depending on how much exercise). I have lost a whopping 2 lbs. I would be ecstatic if I could shed a half lb. a week but 1 pound a month is REALLY slow and I seem to be stuck at my current weight-- been at it for over 6 weeks! I am trying to cut out starch and simple carbs-- maybe that will speed things up?

I've gotten a lot of helpful hints from a book, "Diabetic Athlete's Handbook" by Sheri Colberg, www.amazon.com/Diabetic-Athletes-Handbook-Sheri-Colberg/dp/0736074937 she does a lot of explaining WHY our bodies react the way they do, which at least for me is a big help! Understanding whats happening makes it a lot easier for me to figure out how to counter-act, although I'm not sure how relevant some of her discussion would be to a low-carb diet. Yes, a low-carb diet can be used to run a marathon, and there are some things you can do to help negate blood-sugar issues without having to chug carbs constantly, but not very many people easily lose weight while training for a marathon, and I know one of the common topics in some of the long-distance running teams is that people are frustrated/concerned because they aren't losing weight, and Runner's World often has articles about food nutrition and they regularly point out that weight loss is not necessarily a reasonable concurrent goal. I don't think that means that you can't pull it off, but based on what I know and have experienced (4 years of training and 2 marathons), you've certainly picked a tricky set of goals! Start with Sheri Colberg though, she's the most helpful author on the subject of diabetes and exercise I've found so far! Good luck!

I am 53 and have been diabetic since I turned 7. I am healthy and complication-free. Although I am fit and under good control, I find losing the 10-15 lbs I want to get rid of REALLYdifficult. I am very insulin sensitive. I am on a pump and take a total of approx. 10 units of insulin a day (bolus & basal combined) which I gather, is not a lot for a 152 lb. post-menopausal woman. I would like to know how those who've tried a very low carb diet (ala Gary Taubes?) manage to run long distances, etc. and handle low blood sugars AND lose weight. I trained for a year and ran first full marathon this fall and lost NO weight, though insulin needs did drop about 10% overall. Any feed back is helpful.

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